[Sigma]

5 points of top 4.

 

[montpelier]

That pretty much confirms that there is some sort of media agenda.
I think after the Summer tournament, he'll be vilified by the press and told to retire.

Totally agree, HodgePodge is gonna be under fierce pressure to leave him out at some stage.

 

[Dobba]

There is a Leverkusen player who has scored more goals than Rooney, Martial and Depay combined.

Shame he couldn't be bothered to even control a ball for his last 18 months here really, isn't it?

 

[Inigo Montoya]

We played at a much higher tempo in the first half. I think we need another game to see if this was an aberration? Whether LVG goes or stays, we will do much better if we pass like we did in the opening 30 minutes.

We haven't got a goalscorer pal! LVG got rid of them all...how will we do much better?

Granted we have to buy, but the season is running away from us

 

[Revan]

Shit I forgot it's today. Worth watching replay?

The first 20 minutes were great, and we looked like a good team. Then, for most part it was the same old shit (not necessarily the tumescent shit of the last three matches, but more similar shit to last 18 months).

 

[sunama]

Well he had only 250m and 3 transfer windows to fix it. There is a Leverkusen player who has scored more goals than Rooney, Martial and Depay combined.

Maybe we should've given him £500M. Maybe then he'd be able to beat Norwich or Bournemouth.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Shame he couldn't be bothered to even control a ball for his last 18 months here really, isn't it?

Was he given the opportunity?

 

[Dans]

Played much better. Enjoyed the game and looked like we are capable of playing at this tempo. Unfortunate not to get at least 1 penalty but still positives to be taken away from that performance. Rooney should have buried that chance at the end.

I agree with this.

We need to get rid of Rooney and bring in a real goal scorer. A right winger and a CB to boot and we might be going places with a few good results and some confidence.

That said, this was one decent performance. More telling will be the next 3 or 4 games which might make or break our season.

 

[Ibi Dreams]

Don't think Van Gaal deserves any criticism today. Players we have at the moment just aren't really good enough.

He's coached the goals out of them. We have plenty of players here who can and have scored goals, and yet even when they play relatively well (like today) they don't seem to be able to actually make a proper chance or finish a half chance. This has been an issue for a long time with Van Gaal.

 

[Keenst]

Well he had only 250m and 3 transfer windows to fix it. There is a Leverkusen player who has scored more goals than Rooney, Martial and Depay combined.

Yep, LVG deserves no blame.

I mean in the sense of what could have been done today with how we were set out. I don't see how we could have played any better really.

Totally agree he's been disastrous when it comes to signings.

 

[Aporkalypse]

The Rooney shaped blindspot in the media is getting larger.

 

[Vanrouge]

Second half against Stoke and much of this game give me some hope, with one obvious proviso: we find our shooting boots.

 

[peridigm]

Schweinsteiger was shit today, think we need to get a new centre mid and just use Schweini sparingly.

New centre mid, new centre back, new striker and new winger please. Oh, and new manager.

He was off for 3 games to be fair but still, we shouldn't be as reliant on an older player anyway. Reminds me of that time Ferguson has to bring on a retired player.

 

[Woodzy]

Better performance but still no result. To me it was just a glimpse of what we can play like if we take the LvG shaped shackles off.

 

[Charlie Foley]

The first half was the best we have played in 2 months but we faded in the second and we needed De Gea to make a couple of big saves. Chelsea gave arguably the worst performance I have seen us face this season.

It's another 2 points dropped and the 2nd and 2rd substitutions were again really strange, LvG removed the Martial/Ivanovic match-up were getting so much success from in order to put Memphis on, just bizarre..

Not as bad as the 2th though. Or the 2st

 

[Revan]

Shame he couldn't be bothered to even control a ball for his last 18 months here really, isn't it?

On the last 18 months of him here, he was an important reason why we won a league title. Scored 19 goals or so. Then he was a bit shit when Moyes decided to marginalize him, and then LVG's program which generated random decisions decided that Chicha is shit.

 

[Dans]

5 points of top 4.

We were in 1st place in October.

 

[Moriarty]

5 points of top 4.

1 point out of a possible 12 (last 4 games)

 

[Inigo Montoya]

He's coached the goals out of them. We have plenty of players here who can and have scored goals, and yet even when they play relatively well (like today) they don't seem to be able to actually make a proper chance or finish a half chance. This has been an issue for a long time with Van Gaal.

I think the stories that he has coached the players to take a touch before shooting is true.

They don't seem able to hit shots instinctively anymore

 

[Dobba]

On the last 18 months of him here, he was an important reason why we won a league title. Scored 19 goals or so. Then he was a bit shit when Moyes decided to marginalize him, and then LVG's program which generated random decisions decided that Chicha is shit.

So we sent him to Madrid for games, who themselves didn't want him once the loan was done.

Weird that people choose to gloss over that with their Hernandez hindsight goggles on.

 

[Golden Nugget]

• Much, much better. The players played like they cared. Yes it was a poor Chelsea team, but this is passion that has been missing for a while. Delighted with the effort put in although gutted to not get a result.
• Hitting the post twice; great save from Courtois; two penalties not given - luck was not with us today. Rooney chance was harder than it looked but should have anticipated better
• Can't help to think we would have murdered them with Shaw/ a proper left back. So much open space but Darmian was poor with his left footed crosses despite getting into good positions. After that he learned that the best move is to simply pass it to Martial
• More shooting - which was good to see.
• Rooney as the man of the match was confusing - but felt he improved a lot - especially in the first half where he linked up play well.
• Schweinsteiger on the other hand was a bit poor. Looked tired especially towards the end.
• Felt Herrera and Young played well, Mata was good first half - but disappeared second half. Martial destroyed Ivanovic but disappeared on the right wing.
• Memphis was incredibly disappointing. Fresh legs against Ivanovic - I know he had support from Ramires - but he really looks poor and out of confidence right now.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Yeah, he only made one save. Well that one... and the other three or four as well.

just don't understand a post that says 'no we didn't play well de gea made this save'

like we are never going to go through a whole season without the keeper touching the ball. He's there to make saves. Doesn't mean we didn't dominate the game from minute 1-93

 

[Mickeza]

Played well for the first twenty minutes before gradually getting worse as the match went on. Chelsea had by far the best chance of the match.

We were playing at home against a Chelsea side who are currently a few points above the relegation zone, without any of their strikers, without Fabregas, in a must win game. A draw doesn't really cut it. They came for at worst a point or to steal a goal on the break, and but for a Matic howler they would have done that.

5 points behind Tottenham in fourth, no win in 8 games, 25 goals in 25 games, 35 out of a possible 75 points since the City game in April. This is his team, he's built it, he's spent lots of money doing it, and he needs to leave immediately.

As an aside, I have never known a manager to substitute defenders and change his back four as much as this manager does in a match. I guess that's another example of his genius.

 

[Ash_G]

Don't think Van Gaal deserves any criticism today. Players we have at the moment just aren't really good enough.

Disagree. I think after the hour we needed to go for it more. One of those games we needed to win, particularly with Chelsea looking so poor and playing for a draw.

His subs were poor again in terms of reflecting the game. We had things covered defensively for the most part, we needed to go for it on the attack. I don't mean go all out but just be more ambitious. Get Martial central, take of BFS who was looking knackered. I'm assuming Darmian needed to come of but I don't know if Blind coming of was injury or tactical, if the latter that's questionable. But leaving BFS on felt as with Rooney this season, LVG putting to muh faith in the players history rather than their current season displays to date.

Other issue is still the constant use of working the ball wide and then crossing it in. It doesn't make sense for us as a tactic when no one can reliably put a cross in.

There were some positives, that's true. I said it in another thread though that, that has to be considered in the context of the match which was against an even poorer/more confidence hit Chelsea team.

 

[Oneunited26]

Shocking how different this chelski side is compared to last season. Same players but I have never seen a more incompetent and poor chelski team in the last 10 years or so. Really surprising how easily we dominated them.

Having said that, it was more of the same shite from us. We had a little bit more urgency and created a few more chances. Whether that was because chelski actually came out to attack us or because we were under pressure, who knows. Regardless, the result was the same. Yet another goalless game and LVG has no idea how to fix this.

Rooney is absolutely rubbish up top on his own. He has lost it. He needs a partner or we need to ship him out. Im just shocked we haven't gone to a 4-4-2 or some similar variation by now. We haven't won in I don't know how many matches. Yet we still consistently play the same rubbish every week. That's grounds in itself to fire LVG.

At the moment, with Mourinho available and seemingly relishing the chance to take over so how could we not make the move? Are we going to risk losing out on ALL the top managers yet again? This is the chance we have been waiting for. 3 years almost. Pep and Mourinho are available and we must do everything in our power to get them.

This team is in real danger of falling out the top 4. If LVG had a heart he would resign on his own accord. Especially before the January transfer window. This will allow the new manager (or interim manager Ryan Giggs, if Pep comes in the summer) to spend the money.

The worrying thing for me, this clubs board seem to be turning into the English FA, clearly managers available yet we are so slow to act it's like the people at the top are born without spines, it's like the board is 3 to 4 weeks behind on what is actually happening. Another 0-0 draw, a classic VG result

 

[soap]

Was that his fault? Didn't really see what happened, just saw Matic steaming through on goal and then making a tit of himself.

Yeah it was him who should have had the centre of pitch covered, needlessly followed the ball

 

[Revan]

So we sent him to Madrid for games, who themselves didn't want him once the loan was done.

Weird that people choose to gloss over that with their Hernandez hindsight goggles on.

He did well there though. And well, they have Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Jesse and Rodriguez in attack. We have Mata, Martial and 2 donkies.

De Gea is our only player who would get into their lineup. Madrid not wanting him doesn't mean anything when it comes to United.

 

[::sonny::]

Depay a poor's man Balotelli

 

[Dobba]

He did well there though. And well, they have Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Jesse and Rodriguez in attack.

All of whom they had when he joined them, they still signed him. Well, until they had to fork money out for him of course and we all know how frugal Real Madrid are...

 

[Oneunited26]

He did well there though. And well, they have Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Jesse and Rodriguez in attack. We have Mata, Martial and 2 donkies.

De Gea is our only player who would get into their lineup. Madrid not wanting him doesn't mean anything when it comes to United.

And VG had total confidence in these 2 donkies. Imagine if real pushed the DDG transfer through?

 

[Dans]

Depay a poor's man Balotelli

He's not that good.

 

[Dans]

At least Fellaini remained on the bench today.

Who can we sell him to?

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Not sure if laugh or cry.

 

[Stretford End Phil]

Improvement for two thirds of the game. The last 20 minutes was back to type. The manager looks like staying, certainly not resigning. The jury is out - it's now a game-by-game scenario.

 

[bpet15]

Overall a more enjoyable watch than anything we have had in 6 weeks. That being said, that is an absolute shite Chelsea side which for me is one of the worst in the league. Still, all we can muster is a 0-0 home draw.

 

[...aka Las Cortinas]

just don't understand a post that says 'no we didn't play well de gea made this save'

like we are never going to go through a whole season without the keeper touching the ball. He's there to make saves. Doesn't mean we didn't dominate the game from minute 1-93

To say we 'dominated' is giving us undue credit. We had more possession but both teams had 3 or 4 good chances to win.

Of course though, a keeper is one of the eleven players and there to make saves.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Improvement for two thirds of the game. The last 20 minutes was back to type. The manager looks like staying, certainly not resigning. The jury is out - it's now a game-by-game scenario.

Em! can we predict the next few games then?

0-0
0-0
0-0

 

[Keenst]

Disagree. I think after the hour we needed to go for it more. One of those games we needed to win, particularly with Chelsea looking so poor and playing for a draw.

His subs were poor again in terms of reflecting the game. We had things covered defensively for the most part, we needed to go for it on the attack. I don't mean go all out but just be more ambitious. Get Martial central, take of BFS who was looking knackered. I'm assuming Darmian needed to come of but I don't know if Blind coming of was injury or tactical, if the latter that's questionable. But leaving BFS on felt as with Rooney this season, LVG putting to muh faith in the players history rather than their current season displays to date.

Other issue is still the constant use of working the ball wide and then crossing it in. It doesn't make sense for us as a tactic when no one can reliably put a cross in.

There were some positives, that's true. I said it in another thread though that, that has to be considered in the context of the match which was against an even poorer/more confidence hit Chelsea team.

I think most of the players were knackered to be fair. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt that blind and darmian needed to come off.

When you say we should have gone for it more I just don't really see how we could to be honest. You saw with the Matic chance how vulnerable we could be to a counter as it was and Chelsea were sitting very deep with the two holding players in midfield so we didn't have much choice but to go wide most of the time.

We just don't have the quality needed to break down defences consistently.

 

[Revan]

All of whom they had when he joined them, they still signed him. Well, until they had to fork money out for him of course and we all know how frugal Real Madrid are...

But most of them would instantly be our best player. There is no point on discussing that he wasn't good for United, so he isn't good enough for us. If you go by this logic, then keep De Gea and sell everyone else.

He would have been comfortably, our best striker if LVG's random decision program decided that he is good and someone else (say Rooney or Fellaini) isn't. But then, it wouldn't be a random program after all.

 

[Revan]

At least Fellaini remained on the bench today.

Who can we sell him to?

Time to sell him was last summer after he showed half a dozen of good performances. Who would want him now?